40 WAITAKI HERALD, NOVEMBER 26, 2014 A holiday far away from home Remembering a slice of America with Thanksgiving dinner The last Thursday in November is a special one for a number of cultures around the world. Thanksgiving is celebrated in America, Canada and Norfolk Island. Reporter Nicola Wolfe talked to two Americans living in the Waitaki district, about why they choose to celebrate Thanksgiving inNewZealand. When Brittni Barroga moved with her parents from Colorado to New Zealand, they left Thanksgiving behind them. One of the biggest holidays of the year in the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Thursday in November. It signifies the end of fall and the beginning of harvest, as well as starting off the holiday season. It also has historical and religious roots. As an American holiday, celebrating it in New Zealand, at first, didn’t seem right. ‘‘A lot of it was because we were busy, but also because we weren’t surrounded by other Americans,’’ Barroga said. It wasn’t until five years later that, at the request of her flatmates, she began celebrating it again. ‘‘My flatmates were big foodies. It was a great event for us girls to do together,’’ she said. All of a sudden, the holiday took on a new meaning. It was no longer just about the Pilgrims celebrating the harvest with the natives in Plymouth – it was about giving thanks for everything and everyone she had. American-born Jonathan John- son arrived in New Zealand in September. This year will be his second Thanksgiving away from home. Last year, Johnson was travel- ling with a bunch of friends when Thanksgiving rolled around. ‘‘We celebrated Thanksgiving in Thailand with Thai food,’’ he said. The holiday, which is very much about the food, is celebrated differently in different parts of the US. ‘‘What you eat for Thanksgiving is different depending on where you live,’’ Johnson said, as the two discuss a ‘‘traditional’’ Thanksgiving feast. This year Johnson will join Bar- Come together: Brittni Barroga, centre, with Joshua, 15 months, and husband Joe, left, celebrate Thanksgiving each year with their family and friends, despite being 12,542 kilometres away from home. This year they will be joined by American Jonathan Johnson, who will be celebrating his first Thanksgiving in New Zealand. Photo: Nicola Wolfe/Fairfax NZ roga and her family and friends for a big Thanksgiving dinner. Barroga’s husband, Joe, is Filipino, so the meal is celebrated with a mixture of cultures. ‘‘We have lots of cultures come – Filipino, Kiwi, Australian, German, Argentinian, Swedish and, of course, American.’’ Everyone brings a traditional meal or dessert from their culture to share, she said. New bike tracks on track for summer By NICOLA WOLFE nicola.wolfe@fairfaxmedia.co.nz Construction on the Reservoir Rd mountainbike track is coming along slowly but steadily. Project co-ordinator Rob Connolly, said the initial ground work has been finished and the aim right now is to get the tracks ready for opening in the summer. Construction began on the vacant forest area around the Oamaru reservoir in August, with diggers laying the track. ‘‘Now we need to get some guys in to do some hand work, to start sculpting the track,’’ he said. Dry weather helped to keep the digging progress going, Connolly said, but now they were desperate for rain to help form the tracks. The four kilometre track will have a number of loops of varying difficulty – ‘‘an easy loop, a slightly harder one and a great big loop’’ – to make the track accessible to a wide range of people. There are also a number of cos- metic jobs, such as fencing, signage and fixing the parking area, which the group would continue to work on after the track opens. ‘‘People riding on the tracks will help loosen them in,’’ said Connolly. The project, which has been coordinated by Mountain Biking North Otago, has had lots of volunteer support from members of the group and the community. They recently had a number of pupils from Ardgowan School help with digging and shaping the peewee area of the track, Connolly said. The group is also working on a new track at Cape Wanbrow, which has taken a lot of the volunteers away from the Reservoir Road track, but they are still making good progress. Photo: NICOLA WOLFE/FAIRFAX NZ On the go: Rob Connolly from Mountain Biking North Otago and Vertical Ventures said the goal for Reservoir Rd track is to finish construction in time for the summer holidays. NEW FURNITURE FOR CHRISTMAS? 15% OFF EXCESS STOCK & FACTORY ORDERS Call in to our Showroom and view our latest range | Open 7 days | Custom Built Furniture 300 Hilton Highway, Timaru | Phone: 03 688 2960 | Email: salesteam@kenwills.co.nz OPEN: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm | Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm | Sunday 11:00am - 4:00pm www.kenwills.co.nz